1. Home
2. Idioms
3. burn down

burn down

---

---

burn down

 

1. [for a building] to be destroyed by fire. The barn burned down. There was a fire, and the old factory was burned down.

2. [for a fire] to burn and dwindle away. The flame burned down and then went out. As the fire burned down, it began to get cold.

See also: burn, down

burn someone down

Sl. to humiliate someone. Man, don't you ever burn me down like that again! You just want to burn down everybody to make yourself seem better.

See also: burn, down

burn something down

[for a fire] to destroy a building completely. The fire burned the barn down. It burned down the barn.

See also: burn, down

burn down

1. Completely consume by fire, burn to the ground, as in Their house burned down and they had nowhere to go. [Mid-1800s]

2. Diminish for lack of fuel, as in The fire will soon burn down. [Late 1800s]

See also: burn, down